Are these Knicks deliberately playing like this or are they just really this awful?

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Are these Knicks deliberately playing like this or are they just really this awful?

With a roster full of players such as Larry Hughes, Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Darko Milicic, Nate Robinson and David Lee that have one year remaining on their current contracts why does watching this team play like the '97 Denver Nuggets not take me by surprise? Is it because most these players know that they won't be Knicks next season and would rather get paid a boat load of cash and bring their C game to the hardwood floor every night? What a way to finish out a wonderful Knick contract by embarrassing an already battered organization even more.This team cannot possibly be this awful after going on a mini run last season and giving their fans post season hopes.I think that most of them just don't care about playing winning basketball and putting in the extra effort.If you were playing out the last year of your contract and knew that you weren't going to be a part of your team's future plans wouldn't you do the same thing?

If the Knick players are tanking this season on purpose then David Stern needs to step into this.He could begin by either suspending these players or by voiding some of their contracts.Maybe this intervention will wake this Knick team up and get them to compete harder.At the pace that this team is going they're destined to make Isiah Thomas' Knicks look like the Bulls of the 90's.Not only is this hurting Knick fans it's hurting the rest of the NBA in general.I'm sure that David Stern would do anything to make the Knicks relevant again.

I promised myself that I wouldn't rant on the Knicks this season but how can any Knick fan not feel disappointed by watching their team start the season losing 7 out of their first 8 games? And the way that the Knicks have lost these games is probably the worst thing to swallow from this.A few heart breaking over time losses combined with some blow out defeats and a nationally televised laugher on their home court would drive the average Knick fan insane. This is suppose to be a year of new beginning, a year in which the Knicks exorcise most of their past demons and a year in which they prove to everyone that they will no longer be the cellar dwelling/non competitive side show of the NBA.I know that they're 74 games regular season games left for the Knicks to play but if they continue to lose 87 percent of the games on their schedule it's best to call it a season.

I wouldn't say it's deliberate, but... No one ever did anything to hide that this is considered a transition year, both the coaching staff and the players realise that and therefore they don't die for the games, you know.

I wouldn't say it's deliberate, but... No one ever did anything to hide that this is considered a transition year, both the coaching staff and the players realise that and therefore they don't die for the games, you know.

Agree. It is widely known throughout the sports world that the Knicks are trying to clear cap space to sign 1 or 2 max contract players. These guys read the newspaper and watch sportscenter so they know what the deal is. If anything, these guys are playing for themselves and auditioning for other GMs.

Last night Duhon took the most rediculous 3 pointer in transition and I swore he was attempting to sabotage the little run they were on. Does anyone remember the shot i'm speaking of? It made absolutely no sense plus he was about 3 feet behind the 3 point line.

Agree. It is widely known throughout the sports world that the Knicks are trying to clear cap space to sign 1 or 2 max contract players. These guys read the newspaper and watch sportscenter so they know what the deal is. If anything, these guys are playing for themselves and auditioning for other GMs.

Last night Duhon took the most rediculous 3 pointer in transition and I swore he was attempting to sabotage the little run they were on. Does anyone remember the shot i'm speaking of? It made absolutely no sense plus he was about 3 feet behind the 3 point line.

Yeah, I saw that shot by Duhon...Made me want to get up off the coach and punch somebody in the face...

The problem is with duhon. SSOL needs a capable PG - duhon is not.
The first part of last season, teams didn't pressure Duhon and we're still trying to figure him out - hence he averaged great numbers....then in the second half when they realised he has no jump shot, his handle is shaky and is nothing more than a career backup - they began to play him into his weaknesses and as a result his play suffered and so did the team's. Some might say he broke down from logging too many minutes which may be true but it was also due to the fact that opposing teams figured out how to play him.
This season we're experiencing the same thing and without a capable PG who can hit wide open shots and push the ball, D'Antoni's offense stinks.

Duhon needs to sit and either run a nate/hughes or douglas/hughes backcourt.

They are not deliberately tanking the season. They are just really this awful. We all knew (or should have known) that this team was one of the worst in the league. Come on, look at the players we have...

Duhon-awful
Hughes-awful (couldn't get off the bench his last two seasons)
Chandler-mediocre to awful, he's athletic and that's it
Harrington-streaky chucker
Nate-streaky chucker
Lee-one dimensional
Gallo-essentially a rookie, still learning
Douglas-rookie
Hill-rookie
Darko-career backup that is lazy and plays with no passion (biggest bust in draft history)
Curry-fat and useless, not playing, career over
Jeffries-awful

Not a single one of these players would be a starter on a good team. Except maybe Lee and Harrington and that's debatable. At best they're 3rd or 4th options on a good team but most likely coming off the bench. So what did you expect?

I think a lot of people had unrealistic expectations for this team and now they're disappointed. Everybody knew this was another throw away year and the most difficult to endure.

The problem is with duhon. SSOL needs a capable PG - duhon is not.
The first part of last season, teams didn't pressure Duhon and we're still trying to figure him out - hence he averaged great numbers....then in the second half when they realised he has no jump shot, his handle is shaky and is nothing more than a career backup - they began to play him into his weaknesses and as a result his play suffered and so did the team's. Some might say he broke down from logging too many minutes which may be true but it was also due to the fact that opposing teams figured out how to play him.
This season we're experiencing the same thing and without a capable PG who can hit wide open shots and push the ball, D'Antoni's offense stinks.

Duhon needs to sit and either run a nate/hughes or douglas/hughes backcourt.

Duhon is garbage.

I agree with you that duhon is garbage. Somebody in the Knicks organization should take him outside and throw that ***** in a dumpster.